What happened to August????

Did anyone see where August went? I seem to have misplaced it. Perhaps it got trapped out back in the thorny grasp of the blackberry bushes. I'll have to look for it when I'm next out there picking berries and rescue it with the loppers. But if I can't locate August, I'll move on. September is a beautiful month and I'm looking forward to getting outside and getting my hands dirty in the garden. And there are any number of outdoor projects with which to get my hands dirty, not the least of which is pruning back lots of plant material that has been left to its own devices for too long.

Some pruning has already gotten underway, thanks to the English rellies who have come to visit. It seems that change is as good as anything for a vacation. We've had willing volunteers to hack away at overgrown butterfly bushes and wieglea and underproductive fruit trees. And in fact, the pruning has revealed quite an array of tasty plant life already growing here. We've discovered:

• yellow plums
• blackberries
• purple plums
• transparent apples
• a few varieties of red apples
• hazelnuts
• blackberries
• walnuts
• Japanese plums (which look like big cherries)
• grapes
• fig
• rosemary
• blackberries
• oregano
• mint
• rhubarb
• blackberries

Not a bad selection to begin with.  Sure, most of it needs some attention, but we've been enjoying yellow plums and transparent apples and will soon to be harvesting a good crop of purple plums as well as lots of red apples. 

Those of you paying attention, though, will notice that blackberries appeared a few times on the list of harvestable plant life. That should give you an indication of the quantity of blackberries that we have on our property.  They're quite yummy and make a great jam (yes, I made blackberry jam!) but they are also capable of lifting the roof off of a shed. And they have totally surrounded our most productive apple tree. My plan? To pick the berries from around the apple tree and as I pick, to take loppers to canes and chop away. I figure that by the time the apples are ready for picking I'll have slain enough of the blackberries to have a safe passage to the apple tree.

And the blackberry canes that were attacking the storage sheds? They've already been acquainted with the loppers, though I understand they are tenacious beasts and, rather like aging rock stars, inclined to make a comeback just when you think they've finally gone away.

Now, I must sign off. I must save my strength for tomorrow's battle. I can hear the blackberry bushes rustling away outside. They must be strategizing their surprise attack, deciding which arching cane with particularly long thorns will wrap itself around my arm and which one will suddenly reach over my head and attach itself to the back of my sweater leaving me no chance of defense. But I'm on to them now. I've seen what happened to August. I'll lead the charge with my loppers and we'll see who comes out victorious.